CFTC Approves U.S. Spot Crypto Trading on Regulated Exchanges
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has formally approved spot crypto trading on CFTC-regulated exchanges, marking the first federally regulated spot market for cryptocurrencies in the U.S. Bitnomial is expected to be the first venue to launch under the new framework, which authorizes the listing of spot Bitcoin and Ethereum markets on CFTC-registered exchanges. This development ends the prior regulatory gray zone for U.S. spot crypto trading, which was not explicitly authorized before.
CFTC Chair Caroline Pham stated that the move provides crucial customer protections and market integrity, potentially paving the way for major brokerages to offer spot crypto trading. This shift creates a fully regulated U.S. spot crypto market with new venues for institutions and expanded distribution channels for retail investors.
The announcement coincides with Vanguard and Charles Schwab enabling spot crypto ETF trading in the same week, signaling broader institutional readiness in the market. Market context includes crypto majors broadly down with Bitcoin around $91,000 and Ethereum around $3,130. Additionally, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that stablecoins could weaken central-bank control, while BlackRock’s Larry Fink noted that sovereign wealth funds are accumulating Bitcoin.
